Community Empowerment Matters

  What are Community Land Trusts (CLTs)?   In the U.S., the Community Land Trust (CLT) model traces its origins to an organization called New Communities, Inc. , which used the CLT model in the American South during the 1960s to promote housing security for African American farmers. These farmers were being forced off of their land, often in retaliation for attempting to secure the right to vote.   The goal of the CLT model is to empower residents to create and control a vibrant, diverse, and high-quality neighborhood. Simply put, it’s a way to make home ownership affordable, sustainable, and accessible for generations of lower-income families.   Typically, community organizations purchase land, upon which they either build or rehabilitate houses. The organizations then form a CLT . CLTs are often governed by a board of directors made up of ⅓ housing residents, ⅓ community representatives, and ⅓ Board Members of the sponsoring community organization. Low-income homebuyers can pur

  ( marked for usage under Creative Commons license, image source - https://www.flickr.com/photos/slumtourist/31013909225 )   Homeownership is the dream of many Americans. Unfortunately, some entities have been profiting off exploiting this dream and luring many Black Americans into shady deals promising homeownership but manufactured to end in foreclosure. Vision Property Management is such an entity and continues to perpetuate the centuries old crime of exploiting Black Americans in Detroit for profit. In this blog post, I will examine the current lawsuit filed against Vision Property Management, Detroit’s history of housing discrimination, and present efforts to assist homeownership in Detroit.         I.           Henderson v. Vision Property Management, LLC   On September 27, 2020, the American Civil Liberties Union Fund of Michigan, the Michigan Poverty Law Program, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Consumer Law Center filed a 109-page lawsuit a

               This blog post is designed to assist small businesses and nonprofits in transferring title (ownership) of real property in Michigan. Section one will discuss the three most commonly used deeds and their respective differences and benefits. Section two will go through the process (step by step) of filling out a deed and recording it with your county’s register of deeds (land records office). Section three will highlight a few of common issues that arise in the transfer of title and how to avoid them. I.          Selecting the Right Type of Deed The first thing to consider when preparing to transfer title of property is which type of deed will serve your interests best. A deed is a legal document which conveys title of real property. Deeds can be tailored to include whichever warranties (guaranties) and covenants (promises to do/refrain from doing certain things) you want, but there are a handful of standard deeds which are commonly used. In Michigan, the three most co